# thee
## English
### Etymology 1

From Middle English þe, from Old English þē (“thee”, originally dative, but later also accusative), from Proto-Germanic *þiz (“thee”), from Proto-Indo-European *te (“second-person singular pronoun”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian die (“thee”), West Frisian dy (“thee”), German Low German di (“thee”), German dir (“thee”, dative pron.), Icelandic þér (“thee”). More at thou.

#### Pronunciation

* enPR: thē, IPA: /ðiː/
** Audio (UK):(file)
** Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -iː
* Homophone: the (when stressed)

#### Pronoun

thee (second-person singular, objective case, nominative thou, reflexive thyself)
* (now chiefly archaic, literary) Objective and reflexive case of thou. [from 8th c.]
** 1598, William Shakespeare, Henry IV part 1, act 1, scene 2, lines 49–50:Prince Henry: Did I ever call for thee to pay thy part? Falstaff: No; I'll give thee thy due, thou hast paid all there.
** 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost:Michael, this my behest have thou in charge, Take to thee from among the Cherubim Thy choice of flaming Warriours, least the Fiend
** 1742, “Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown”, Charles Wesley (music):Come, O thou Traveller unknown, / Whom still I hold, but cannot see! / My company before is gone, / And I am left alone with Thee; / With Thee all night I mean to stay, / And wrestle till the break of day.
* (now chiefly archaic, dialect) Thou. [from 12th c.]
** 1773, Frances Burney, Journals & Letters, Penguin 2001, page 23:[H]e immediately perceived when I was taken ill, and, after seeing Mama, said to me "I am afraid Thee art not well thyself?"
** 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “The Ship”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 84:"He says he's our man, Bildad," said Peleg, "he wants to ship." "Dost thee?" said Bildad, in a hollow tone
** 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin:"What does thee want, father?" said Rachel.

##### Alternative forms

* Thee
* the (obsolete)

##### Derived terms

* fare thee well
* get thee behind me
* me and thee
* thee and me
* thee sen
* to a fare-thee-well
* to a fine fare-thee-well

##### Translations
#### Verb

thee (third-person singular simple present thees, present participle theeing, simple past and past participle theed)
* (transitive) To address (a person) using the pronoun thee.
    Synonym: thou
** 1677, William Gibson, “An Answer to John Cheyney’s Pamphlet Entituled The Shibboleth of Quakerism”, in The Life of God, which is the Light and Salvation of Men, Exalted: […], [London]: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 134:What! doſt thou not believe that God's Thouing and theeing was and is ſound Speech? [...] And theeing & Thouing of one ſingle Perſon was the language of Chriſt Jeſus, and the Holy Prophets and Apoſtles both under the Diſpenſations of Law and Goſpel, [...]
* (intransitive) To use the word thee.
    Synonym: thou
** 2006, Julian Dibbell, chapter 5, in Play Money: Or, How I Quit My Day Job and Made Millions Trading Virtual Loot, New York, N.Y.: Basic Books, →ISBN:The hardcore role-players will wake up one day feeling, like a dead weight on their chest, the strain of endless texting in Renaissance Faire English—yet dutifully go on theeing and thouing all the same.
** 2009, David R. Keeston [pseudonym; Alan D. Jenkins], “Seeing God in the Ordinary”, in The Hitch Hikers’ Guide to the Gospel, [Morrisville, N.C.]: Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 39:You want to hear the word of God, and be challenged to go out and change the world. Instead, you are, for the fifth Sunday in a row, mewling on about purple-headed mountains (which is a bit of an imaginative stretch, since you live in East Anglia) and "theeing" and "thouing" all over the place.

#### See also

| | | | personal pronoun | personal pronoun | personal pronoun | possessive pronoun | possessive determiner |
| | | | subjective | objective | reflexive | possessive pronoun | possessive determiner |
| first person | singular | singular | I me (colloquial) | me | myself me mysen | mine | my mine (before vowels, archaic) me |
| first person | plural | plural | we | us | ourselves ourself oursen | ours | our |
| second person | singular | standard, formal | you | you | yourself yoursen | yours yourn (obsolete outside dialects) | your |
| second person | singular | archaic, informal | thou | thee | thyself theeself thysen | thine | thy thine (before vowels) |
| second person | plural | standard | you ye (archaic) | you | yourselves | yours yourn (obsolete outside dialects) | your |
| second person | plural | colloquial | you all y'all you guys | you all y'all you guys | y'allselves | y'all's you guys' your guys' (proscribed) | y'all's your all's (nonstandard) you guys' your guys' (proscribed) |
| second person | plural | informal / dialectal | (see list of dialectal forms at you and inflected forms in those entries) | (see list of dialectal forms at you and inflected forms in those entries) | (see list of dialectal forms at you and inflected forms in those entries) | (see list of dialectal forms at you and inflected forms in those entries) | (see list of dialectal forms at you and inflected forms in those entries) |
| third person | singular | masculine | he | him | himself hisself (archaic) hissen | his hisn (obsolete outside dialects) | his |
| third person | singular | feminine | she | her | herself hersen | hers hern (obsolete outside dialects) | her |
| third person | singular | neuter | it hit | it hit | itself hitself | its his (archaic) | its his (archaic) hits |
| third person | singular | genderless | they | them | themself, themselves | theirs | their |
| third person | singular | genderless, nonspecific (formal) | one | one | oneself | – | one's |
| third person | plural | plural | they | them hem, 'em | themselves theirsen | theirs theirn (obsolete outside dialects) | their |

### Etymology 2

From Middle English theen (“to increase, prosper, flourish”), from Old English þēon (“to thrive, prosper, flourish, grow”), from Proto-Germanic *þinhaną (“to thrive, succeed”), from Proto-Indo-European *tenk- (“to succeed, turn out well”). Cognate with Dutch gedijen (“to flourish, thrive, prosper, succeed”), German gedeihen (“to thrive”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌸𐌴𐌹𐌷𐌰𐌽 (gaþeihan, “to increase, thrive”).

#### Alternative forms

* the (Scotland)

#### Pronunciation

* enPR: thē, IPA: /θiː/
* Rhymes: -iː

#### Verb

thee (third-person singular simple present thees, present participle theeing, simple past and past participle theed)
* (intransitive, UK, obsolete) To thrive; prosper.
** 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 33:Well mote thee, as well can wish your thought.

##### Derived terms

* theedom

### Etymology 3

From Pitman zee, which it is related to phonetically and graphically, and the sound it represents.

#### Noun

thee (plural thees)
* The letter ⟨(⟩, which stands for the th sound /ð/ in Pitman shorthand.

##### Related terms

* ith
* eth, the name of the IPA letter for this sound

### Etymology 4

Respelling of the popularized by Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth.

#### Article

thee
* (very rare, nonstandard) Alternative spelling of the

### Anagrams

* ethe

## Dutch
### Alternative forms

* (obsolete) tee

### Etymology

From Hokkien 茶 (tê). The "-h-" is a faux-Greek spelling (compare Greek τσάι (tsái)); the more basal spelling tee was previously common, especially in the early modern period, but is now obsolete.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /teː/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: thee
* Rhymes: -eː

### Noun

thee m (plural theeën, diminutive theetje n)
* tea
* (singular only, with the definite article de)
** tea-time, tea break, meeting in which tea is served
    Ik ga mijn nieuwe buren op de thee vragen.I’m going to invite my new neighbours for tea.
** (sports, figurative) half-time
    Tijdens de thee pepte de trainer de spelers op.During the half-time break the coach cheered up the players.

#### Derived terms

* gemberthee
* groene thee
* ijsthee
* kamillethee
* kruidenthee
* muntthee
* rooibosthee
* rookthee
* theedoos
* theedrinker
* theeglas
* theekop
* theekrans
* theelepel
* theeleut
* theelicht
* theemuts
* theepauze
* theeplant
* theepot
* theeroos
* theezakje
* witte thee
* zwarte thee

#### Descendants

* Afrikaans: tee
* Berbice Creole Dutch: tei
* Negerhollands: thee, tee
* → Caribbean Javanese: teh
* → Dutch Low Saxon: thee
* → Danish: te, the (unofficial since 1872, but still common)
** → Faroese: te
* → English: tea (see there for further descendants)
* → French: thé (see there for further descendants)
* → German: Tee (see there for further descendants)
* → Icelandic: te
* → Kari'na: te
* → Latin: thea (see there for further descendants)
* → Latvian: tēja
* → Norwegian: te
* → Sranan Tongo: te
** → Aukan: te
** → Saramaccan: té
* → Swedish: te, the, thé
** → Finnish: tee
* → West Frisian: tee

### Anagrams

* heet, hete

## Green Hmong
### Etymology

From Thai ถ่าน (tàan) ("charcoal") or Lao ຖ່ານ (thān) ("charcoal"), ultimately from Middle Chinese 炭 (tʰɑn$^H$) ("charcoal").

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /tʰẽ˧/

### Noun

thee
* charcoal, coal

## Middle English
### Etymology 1
#### Pronoun

thee
* Alternative form of þe (“thee”)

### Etymology 2
#### Verb

thee
* Alternative form of theen

## Old Irish
### Adjective

thee
* Alternative spelling of thé: lenited form of tee (“hot”).

## Scots
### Etymology 1

From Old English þēoh, from Proto-Germanic *þeuhą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tewk-.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /θi/

#### Noun

thee (plural thees)
* thigh

### Etymology 2

From Middle English theen, from Old English þēon, from Proto-Germanic *þinhaną.

#### Verb

thee (third-person singular simple present thees, present participle theein, simple past theet, past participle theet)
* (archaic, literary) To thrive, prosper

### Etymology 3

From Middle English þe, from Old English þē (“thee”, originally dative, but later also accusative), from Proto-Germanic *þiz (“thee”), from Proto-Indo-European *te (“second-person singular pronoun”).

#### Alternative forms

* dee

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ði/
* (Orkney, Shetland) IPA: /di/

#### Pronoun

thee (subjective case thou, reflexive thysel, possessive determiner thy)
* (archaic outside Orkney and Shetland) thee, you (2nd person singular object pronoun, informal)
* (Orkney, Shetland) thou, you (2nd person singular subject pronoun, informal)

##### Usage notes

* Regularly used throughout Scotland up until the middle of the 1800s; now only used as an archaism outside Shetland and Orkney.

##### References

* “thou, pers. pron, v.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.

## White Hmong
### Etymology

From Thai ถ่าน (tàan) ("charcoal") or Lao ຖ່ານ (thān) ("charcoal"), ultimately from Middle Chinese 炭 (tʰɑn$^H$) ("charcoal").

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /tʰẽ˧/

### Noun

thee
* charcoal, coal

## Yola
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ðiː/

### Etymology 1

From Middle English þe, from Old English þē.

#### Pronoun

thee
* thee
** 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 40:Fho told thee?Who told thee?
** 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 78:Whileen to thee.That you may be upset.
** 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 1, page 84:Fade teil thee zo lournagh, co Joane, zo knaggee?What ails you so melancholy, quoth John, so cross?
** 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 2, page 84:Well, gosp, c'hull be zeid; mot thee fartoo, an fade;Well, gossip, it shall be told; you ask what ails me, and for what;
** 1867, “VERSES IN ANSWER TO THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 2, page 100:Craneen t' thee wee aam, thee luggès shell aake.Choking to thee with them. Thy ears shall ache.
** 1867, “VERSES IN ANSWER TO THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 3, page 100:Heal, griue, an kin, apaa thee, graacuse Forth,Health, wealth, and regard upon thee, gracious Forth,

### Etymology 2

From Middle English þi, apocopated variant of þin, from Old English þīn, from Proto-West Germanic *þīn.

#### Alternative forms

* th'

#### Determiner

thee
* thy, your
** 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 31:Coome to thee met; Coome thee wyse.Come to thy meat; Come thy ways.
** 1867, “VERSES IN ANSWER TO THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 2, page 100:Craneen t' thee wee aam, thee luggès shell aake.Choking to thee with them. Thy ears shall ache.
** 1867, “VERSES IN ANSWER TO THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 3, page 100:Mye thee friend ne're waant welcome, nor straayart comfoort.May thy friend ne'er want welcome, nor the stranger comfort.

##### Derived terms

* o'thie

### Etymology 3
#### Pronoun

thee
* thou
** 1927, “LAMENT OF A WIDOW”, in THE ANCIENT DIALECT OF THE BARONIES OF FORTH AND BARGY, COUNTY WEXFORD, page 130, lines 4:Ochone! Jone, thee yart deed.Ochone, John, you are dead.
** 1927, “YOLA ZONG O BARONY VORTH”, in THE ANCIENT DIALECT OF THE BARONIES OF FORTH AND BARGY, COUNTY WEXFORD, page 132, lines 9:Co Sooney, "Billeen dowst thee zee faads lewer,Says Alice "Billy, do you see what's yonder?"

##### Derived terms

* yarthe

### References

* 1 2 Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867
* 1 2 Kathleen A. Browne (1927) The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland Sixth Series, Vol.17 No.2, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland